I picked up my new Prius C three last Wednesday. I noticed the energy
monitor display current indication to and from the battery changes color
from green to blue? Anyone know what the difference is between green
and blue current?

Posted by Elmo P. Shagnasty on April 29, 2012, 1:02 pm

> I picked up my new Prius C three last Wednesday. I noticed the energy > monitor display current indication to and from the battery changes color > from green to blue? Anyone know what the difference is between green > and blue current?

http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1994-11-30/

Posted by DanielleOM on April 29, 2012, 2:33 pm

On 4/29/2012 9:02 AM, Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:

>> I picked up my new Prius C three last Wednesday. I noticed the energy>> monitor display current indication to and from the battery changes color>> from green to blue? Anyone know what the difference is between green>> and blue current?> http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1994-11-30/

Reading paper manuals is probably getting to be a lost art. I think we
are all so used to opening up a .pdf file and searching. I actually
looked but could not see an explanation for the green - blue color
change. I will look again. I saw something on an archived message that
suggested the green somehow relates to higher current flow or more than
the battery really can make use of. Noting there's no big bank of
resistors on top of the car I suspect we have to use our brakes if
there's more power being generated than the battery / engine can take.

Danielle

Posted by Elmo P. Shagnasty on April 29, 2012, 6:48 pm

> Noting there's no big bank of > resistors on top of the car I suspect we have to use our brakes if > there's more power being generated than the battery / engine can take.

Read the manual on how braking works.

Short answer: not at all. Under normal braking, regen happens
regardless of the battery's ability to store it. If the battery is
full, the regen system will dump it as waste heat.

Friction braking also dumps it as waste heat--let's face it, all energy
will be dissipated as heat--but at least with the Prius you're using the
wiring to dissipate the heat instead of using up brake pads that have to
be replaced.

Posted by bwilson4web on May 19, 2012, 6:23 pm

So it has been nearly a month. How do you like it?

> On 4/29/2012 9:02 AM, Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:> >> I picked up my new Prius C three last Wednesday. I noticed the energy> >> monitor display current indication to and from the battery changes color> >> from green to blue? Anyone know what the difference is between green> >> and blue current?> >http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1994-11-30/ > Reading paper manuals is probably getting to be a lost art. I think we> are all so used to opening up a .pdf file and searching. I actually> looked but could not see an explanation for the green - blue color> change. I will look again. I saw something on an archived message that> suggested the green somehow relates to higher current flow or more than> the battery really can make use of. Noting there's no big bank of> resistors on top of the car I suspect we have to use our brakes if> there's more power being generated than the battery / engine can take.

The traction battery in our Prius is normally kept at ~60% charge
between a low of 40% and high of 80%. My testing with descending a 500
ft hill at 60+ mph has shown regenerative braking from the hill
descent barely peaks out the traction battery charge. It is unlikely,
unless you live in mountainous areas, that you'll fill the battery. As
you've guessed, the hydraulic brakes are fully capable of handling
anything the battery can handle.

Actually, the Prius acts as if braking is 'off loaded' by the
regeneration. At modest braking level, it doesn't seem to engage the
brake pads except to rub off the rust. <grins>